We've Arrived and Thawed Out

We arrived last weekend and moved into our home on Monday ... just in time!! Tuesday and Wednesday the entire city was frozen and shut down!! This week has been crazy. There's nothing like a good freeze to keep you at home and unpacking. Its amazing how much was done!! The kids were actually crying and couldn't understand why they were locked up in the house and unable to visit with grandparents for two long days!! Here I had been touting(sp?) the benefits of living less than 10 mins. from both sets of grandparents and the roads to them were closed down!!!! I don't think they believed me that we lived close to them.

But Thursday found us venturing out and the kids spent the night at their grandmas for 2 nights. Its still surreal that we live here. Today (Sunday) I keep thinking I should be packing up to leave early tomorrow morning to go back!!!!

Isabelle had a hard time during the two long ice days. She kept saying she just wanted to go back home. What helped was that a cousin spent the night and day with us (school cancelled and my sister unable to get to us) and she had fun playing with her.

I probably won't be blogging much this week. School starts tomorrow. And I think Sophia is sick. And turns out the baby might be lactose intolerant!?! I need to find a doctor this week. She seems fine on the Lactaid milk (which I only got 2 days ago). I kept taking her off the milk and her diapers would clear up only to put her back on. I kept thinking she had a stomach bug and didn't want to give her any dairy while she was sick. After the 3rd time (poor thing) I caught onto the fact that she didn't have a stomach bug. She seems to be doing fine now. But her poor little toosh is painful to look at.

I went to Walgreens and bought 2 kinds of diaper ointment, baby sitz bath powder and corn starch. I feel so guilty!!! I'm still not sure this is the problem but figure I shouldn't try a 4th time to start regular milk again. I'm just wondering why she wasn't reacting like this months ago. Maybe it is a bug? Anyways, this has been my week. Ice storms, stomach bugs, unpacking, unhappy baby and lots of good times with family!!

And the computer withdrawal shakes have subsided!!

HOMELESS!!

Today we closed on our house!! We are no longer homeowners. Steven and Blair are now the proud owners of their first home. YEAH!!! We will be moving out this weekend and closing on our home in SA on Monday. Tomorrow is our last night here as a complete family as I am driving the kids "home" Saturday morning. God is so good!!

Bittersweet Joy

Now that I'm in the last days before the move, my longing has become bittersweet. The closer I get to moving back home, the more I start wanting an extra week or two or three. Why was I so anxious four weeks ago? Time couldn't go fast enough. I just wanted the final week to be here so I could be closer to family and in my new home.

Now that the final week is here, I need more time for good byes!!! I need more time to spend with my dear friends!!! More time to spend at our favorite parks. More time for my girls to play with their friends. More time so my little girl can have her last birthday party here.

Why didn't I move her birthday party 2 weeks up so she could celebrate it with girls she's come to love!! That one is bugging me the most!! At the time I thought maybe that would make it harder to leave. But now I realize its hard to leave regardless. And although she isn't aware that her birthday is 2 weeks after we move, she will be soooo aware on her birthday when she will have no friends to invite. **I'm crying right now** I wish, wish, wish I had done something for her!!!!

And why didn't I take any pictures of their beautiful rooms!!!! I spent so much time painting them and decorating and I packed them up without taking a snapshot!!! Would I be insane to unpack everything just for a picture?? Maybe I'll browse through the thousands of pictures I've taken to see if there is one. But I don't think so. I always meant to take some when the house was to be sold. But I forgot.

Why did I think I would be able to move without any sadness. Afterall I'm going home.

Maybe its because this is our 1st home. This is where we started homeschooling. This is where Belle made her 1st communion. This is where my kids learned piano. This is where their childhood really began. When we lived in C.S. they were either little or non-existent. But they're all here and so many memories have been made with so many wonderful people.

I haven't cried about moving .... that is until right now. I don't like good byes. Because I'm not very good at keeping in touch with people. Whenever we move I always seem to lose touch. But this time, I pray, will be different. I have email and a blog now.

This week has been filled with last things. Last visits at friends houses. Last park dates. Last taekwondo lessons. Last museum visits. Last piano lessons.

How will I ever find another piano teacher to love my girls the way she has?? She is sooo much more than a piano teacher. She is a lady I have been seeing weekly for the last 2 1/2 years. Because she encourages parental involvement, I have been sitting and learning and talking to her for almost 2 hours a week for over 2 1/2 years. The girls have been sharing all of life's joys and tragedies with her. She has given me advice. She has become more than just a piano teacher. My demented and unstable mind has actually considered driving up once a month to continue piano lessons with her. But that would be crazy!!!

We've had the whole family go for last visits with our pediatrician/family doctor. How will I ever find someone I trust enough to entrust my chidren to?

*******************
15 minutes later:

Craig just walked in on my blubbering and has been listening to me cry and talk. He's very calm and sometimes appears to not have emotions (unless its a funny joke). He doesn't get caught up with my emotions. He doesn't cry. Right now I'm so glad he's like that. But my crying can move him to move heaven and earth for me. So I have to be careful what I ask for. As I was talking to him he just looked at me and asked, "Do you want to stay? I can buy you a house here."

But my heart is already back home. I'm already dreaming of the great times we'll have with our parents. I'm just sooo sad to be leaving here. And so, I need this move to happen quickly and no more reflecting on this. I suppose it would be more disturbing if I were able to make this move without any emotional attachments. That would mean I hadn't made close friends and made wonderful memories here. I am so thankful for the time we spent here. I will always remember all the good times and all the wonderful families we've spent time with.

Focused and Resolved for the New Year

I've been reading other's resolutions and thinking I should come up with some of my own. But I hadn't because I didn't want to come up with a list unless I was REALLY resolved to work at them. And I didn't want them to be superficial. This years resolutions were along the lines of being more consistent with our daily rosary, losing weight, being more charitable in my thoughts, being more patient, being more disciplined, etc. But I have REALLY been praying for the inspiration and resolve to do these. For the grace to form these habits permanently. I guess to be zapped with grace so these things would just be easy to do!! The nerve of me!!

Tonight Craig and I were watching my Christmas gift to him: a Fulton Sheen DVD entitled: "A Family Retreat." I didn't know much about it but figured it would be good. I've only watched a few segments and already I am resolved. I feel changed and I haven't even done anything yet! Just like sin starts with the thought before the action. I am changed because my thinking has been refocused. I am so glad I bought this DVD for Craig because it was actually a gift for us both, our marriage, our family!!

After watching and listening to Archbishop Fulton Sheen, I realize how much my vision is out of focus and he has helped to focus my sight again!!! I have an urgency now. However, my resolutions will not be the ones I've always chosen in the past!!

He explained with such clarity things I never thought about before or hadn't thought about in a long time. He pointed out sins and weaknesses that I have but don't want to see. My vision is refocused. I wish I could buy this DVD for everyone I know. Only because I can't summarize everything he said. He doesn't waste any words.

Alot has been going on in my heart recently. I like to blog about the kids because I think of this as a memoir and because I've not been very successful with albums. And because I really don't know who all is reading my blog. But I LOVE to share my faith and speak with others about it. I used to do that once upon a time. But when I became a full time stay-at-home, homeschooling mom to little kids I thought I had lost some of that "importance" I used to feel. How prideful of me!! This past year God has been working in my heart and giving me so many graces and much peace. And I can't believe he's given me yet another gift in the beautiful sermons of Fulton Sheen.

Here is my first resolution for the new year:

1. Mortification.
And so this might result in me losing weight but that is no longer the reason why. And this IS the reason why I must persevere in being patient. Archbishop Sheen talked at length about the Devil and how St. Peter could accept a divine Christ but not a suffering Christ. St. Peter didn't want Our Lord to die and so Jesus calls him Satan and rebukes him. Archbishop then talked at length about how we must accept suffering and mortification too!! And how we can't be like Peter and try to do away with it.

MORTIFICATION!! This is also the reason I must care less about material things!! And why I must embrace suffering. Not just for my sake but for the sake of others as well. I'll leave you with a joke Archbishop Sheen shares that really speaks to the urgency I now feel.

A man dies and goes to Heaven. But he's curious about what hell is like. So he asks St. Peter if he can visit hell just for the weekend. St. Peter agrees and the man goes to hell and is surprised by how much he enjoys it. He returns to Heaven.

The following weekend he asks if he can visit hell. Again, St. Peter agrees. The man goes to hell and again finds it pleasant and enjoyable. He returns to Heaven at the end of the weekend.

The following weekend he asks to visit hell yet again. St. Peter says he can't continue to do this but allows him to go. So the man goes back to hell but is surprised to find himself in the hottest corner. And its VERY AWFUL!! He asks the devil why it isn't as pleasant as the last two visits. The Devil replies that the other two times he was a visitor but this time he is a resident

Sheen then points out that we are visitors on earth and so sin seems pleasant. I don't think I did justice to how Archbishop Sheen ties in this joke with his sermon on mortification. But its crystal clear to me.

Well, I didn't intend to start the new year with a fire and brimstone type of post. I just wanted to share a gem I've found. Please search out this DVD or email me and I'll send you one.

Happy New Year!

I'm not supposed to be blogging so I'm sneaking this one in! Here are some great and SIMPLE ideas for the Feast of the Epiphany. Notice, especially, the one about using chalk to mark your doorway with the new year and initials of the 3 Kings' names. Its so simple. I love simple traditions. The hardest part, for me, will be remembering to bring some chalk to mass on 1st Friday to get it blessed.

We had a wonderful time celebrating the New Year with our family. I can't believe that this is the last time we have to "travel" to visit family!! As always, the kids were sad to leave, but consoled with the thought that 2 weeks from now we will be calling SA home!

While in SA we spent some time at El Mercado as well as at the Witte Museum. Actually, it was amusing to take the kids to see these sites because we acted like "tourists" instead of natives. Craig and I are SA natives but my kids aren't. The girls enjoyed pan dulce (sweet bread) and Aquas Frescas (fruit juice like lemonade, watermelon, cantelope) as well as some delicious gorditas.


EL MERCADO






FAMILY AND NEW YEAR

Here are Belle and Catherine with their great-grandmother.




Kids with their non-alcoholic bubblies. Kolbe wasn't able to stay up. Also my brother-in-law, my dad and my sweetheart!





WITTE MUSEUM

On New Year's Day we visited the Witte. This is Belle riding a bicycle on a tight rope above/next to the SA river at Brackenridge park. She talked me into trying it!! Can you hear me screaming and laughing? We got our membership so we can visit often.

{Enlarge to see treehouse in background! Kids had a wonderful time in it.}





Craig and I met in SA over 18 years ago. We fell in love in SA over 14 years ago. We were married over 10 years ago. Finally, we're moving back home to share this wonderful place with our 5 children (and more, God willing) and to be close to family once again. God is so good!